The Excuse You Needed to Take Your Phone to the Bathroom

At last, there’s a great excuse to take your smartphone into the bathroom with you and not just to multitask or play Wordle. The new BB-1200 bidet seat from Bio Bidet by Bemis is the first North American bidet toilet seat that’s controlled by an app. That’s right; you’ll be able to control the high-tech tushy-cleansing with the same device you use to watch cat videos.

What’s a bidet seat?

For those who have yet to experience this luxury in the loo, a bidet seat replaces your current toilet seat, connects to the existing plumbing in the bathroom, and provides a stream of water for more hygienic cleanings. Unlike standalone bidets that are popular in Europe and Asia, bidet seats attach to your existing toilet, saving bathroom space and a whole lot of money.

A standalone luxury smart toilet like the Kohler Numi 2.0 runs upwards of $9,000, while bidet seats, which offer many of the same features, are way more affordable. You can get one that just sprays water for under $100, or you can get a fully featured, top-of-the-line Toto Washlet K300 bidet seat for $1,165. At $399, the BB-1200 sits right in the sweet spot of price and features.

Read more: Review of Kohler’s Affordable & Stylish Puretide Bidet

Loaded with features

The BB-1200 is flush with features we’ve seen on much higher priced bidet seats, such as unlimited warm water, a heated seat, and a self-cleaning stainless-steel nozzle. It has an air drier that can help cut down on toilet paper use and a nightlight to guide you in the dark. You can adjust the position of the front and rear nozzles, the water pressure, and even the temperature of the seat.

Better control with an app

You can use the old-fashioned remote that comes in the box to control these features, but using the Bemis app takes personalization to the next level. In the app, you can create user presets with your specific preferences and stack the commands so they run one after the other.

For example, you may want to create a preset that uses warm water for a specific amount of time, set the precise amount of pressure, and run the air drier to cap off your tushy spa. Or you can create a “quick trip” preset that runs water for less time and foregoes the warm air drying. “Upset tummy” might run the warm water for a longer amount of time.

Read more: The Brondell Swash 1400 is a Luxury Bidet with One Big Flaw

Need to know

Before you order the BB-1200 bidet seat, there are a few things you need to know. The seat is made to fit elongated toilet seats, so it won’t work on a round seat. (Though there are other models that will.) It also requires an electrical outlet within 4 feet of the toilet, which may be an additional expense if you need an electrician to put one in. What doesn’t require professional installation is the toilet seat itself. I’ve reviewed these in the past and was able to install it myself in about 45 minutes. If you’re at all handy with a plumber’s wrench, it should be a satisfying DIY project.

The BB-1200 is available now for $399 at BioBidet.com as well as on Amazon. While you’re shopping, you might want to pick up a waterproof phone case … just in case.

(Image credit: Bio Bidet By Bemis, screenshots via Techlicious)

Andrea Smith is an award-winning technology broadcast journalist, reporter, and producer. Andrea was the Technology Producer and an on-air Technology contributor at ABC News for over two decades before becoming the Lifestyle Channel Editor at Mashable, where she explored the ways in which real people, not just geeks, began using technology in their everyday lives.